Method of and means for waterproofing textile and other materials



CHARLES JOSEPH MORETON, 0F IiON'DON, ENGLAND.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR WATERPROGFING TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIALS.

No Drawing. Application filed January 22, 1926, Serial No. 83,135, and in Great Ilritain December 24,

This invention relates to an improved method of and means for waterproofing textile and other materials and has for its object so treating textile and other materials as to render them absolutely waterproof. The methods hitherto more usually employed for waterproofing-textile materials, particularly when made up into wearing apparel consisted either in the use of india rubber proofing solution, or spirit proofing solution containing wax. The use of india rubber proofing solution is hygienically bad inasmuch as articles so treated do not allow a free circulation of air through them and a further drawback to the use of india rubher for such a purpose is that after a while, the india rubber deteriorates and allows Water to pass through the treated material.

In other processes using wax solutions which are hygienically better, it'has been usuallynecessary to employ a very closely woven material in order to ensure the garment made therefrom being waterproof so that it has not hitherto been possible to effectually waterproof a loosely woven material and even with closely woven material, the proofing after .a time loses its efiiciency so that constant re-proofing is necessary. Now according to this invention the drawbacks inseparable from existing methods are entirely obviated and not only the most loosely woven or knitted materials, such for example as artificial silk stockings, but also closely woven materials and even paper can be efiectually waterproofed.

A further advantage arising from the present invention is the fact that clothes made from the cheapest textile materials, such as shoddy or mungo are not only efie'ctually waterproofed in a lasting manner but keep their original shape in wear.

The present invention comprises essentially' treating the material to be waterproofed with an emulsion consisting of palm oil, tallow, ammonia, glycerine, borax, wax and karaya gum.

In some cases the material, particularly I in the case of textile materials is preferably treated to a metal sulphate bath aft-er treat- Lnent with the emulsion and then dried by eat.

The essential feature of the present invention is the use of karaya gum in combination with other well known ingredients for Gum karaya is a little known gum found chiefly in Nyassaland but also in Uganda, New Zealand and the North West Himalayas. This gum is obtained chiefly from a deciduousrtree OoahZospermum gossypium and also from Sfcrculz'a arena. The gum varies in colour from pale yellow to deep brown, has a slight odour of acetic acid and is almost tasteless. It is only slightly soluble in water, an analysis shows that 32.8% is soluble in water, 15.6% is moisture, 2.57% is mineral matter and the remainder is insoluble. When the gum is exposed to the air it gives off acetic acid and a 1% solution has approximately the same viscosity as a weight of palm oil, 40 parts by weight of tallow. 15 parts by weight of commercial glycerine, 4 parts by weight of borax and 1 part by weight of liquid ammonia (.880). The water, glycerine, borax and ammonia arepreferably first mixed together, then the palm oil and tallow previously melted together are added and the whole boiled and stirred for about one hour or until saponification is effected.

Karaya gum is then soaked in waterfor about 48 hours in about the proportion of 8 parts by weight of gum with sufficient water to make a total of 100 parts. The gum swells up into a jelly like mass but without any trace of stickiness. The mass s'o produced is then treated with liquid ammonia (.880) in the-proportion of about 1 part by weight of ammonia to 200 parts by weight Ofwthfi jelly like mass. The

ammonia acts as a solventand produces a .then melted and boiled with a quantity ofthe above described soap and water after which a proportion of the gum slime is added, thoroughly mixed and finally passed through an emulsify'ng machine to bring into an emulsion. Convenient proportions of these various ingredients are 4: parts by weight of wax, 1 part by weight of soap, 12 parts by weight of water and 12 parts by weight of the 4% gum slime.

The textil'e material to be waterproofed is then soaked in this emulsion until thoroughly wetted after which it is wrung out or centrifuged, then passed through about a 2% aqueous solution of titanium sulphate, zinc sulphate or alum, but preferably the titanium sulphate solution is employed. The material is then wrung out or centrifuged and dried at a temperature of approximately 120 F. In some cases when waterproofing delicate materials, such as artificial silk stockings, the material after treatment in the sulphate or fixing bath is rinsed in water before drying.

In the treatment of paper to render it waterproof a slightly larger percentage of wax (about 10% extra) is preferably employed and the sulphate or fixing bath is omitted. The paper after manufacture is preferably passed through rollers in a trough containing the emulsion and then through a calendering machine to dry it.

In some cases, particularly in the water-.

proofin of paper, st-rawboard and the like, a suita le dye may be added to the emulsion so as to produce a surface dyeing and waterproofing at one operation.

Although it is preferable to waterproof paper. after the paper has been manufacto produce a tured, in some cases the emulsion may be added to the pulp before manufacture.

I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A process for waterproofing textile ma terial consisting firstly in treating the mate I rial with an emulsion of palm oil, tallow, ammonia, glycerine, borax, wax and karaya gum and secondly with a metallic sulphate solution and finally drying by heat, as set forth.

2. A water proofing solution comprising an emulsion of palm oil, tallow, ammonia, glycerine, borax, wax and karaya gum, as set forth.

3. A process for waterproofing textile and other material consisting in soaking the material with an emulsion of palm oil, tallow, ammonia, glyccrine, borax, paraffin and carnaubawax, and karaya gum, wringing or centrifuging the soaked material, treating with an aqueous solution of titanium or zinc sulphate, then wringing or centrifuging and finally drying by'heat, as set forth.

4. A process for the production of a waterproofing 'solution consisting firstly in preparing a soap by boiling together palm oil, tallow, glycerine, nia, secondly soaking karaya gum in water 'elly like mass and then dissolving the mass in liquid ammonia to produce a slime which is then diluted with water and thirdly in thoroughly mixing the soap and diluted slime together by passing ghlOfllgh an emulsifying machine, as set ort CHARLES JOSEPH MORETON.

borax and, liquid ammo- 

